Archive for November, 2013

Have been delinquent on this blog for a couple of months for the sole reason that we have been BUSY!!!! After a slow July and first half of August, we were HIT with a lot of varied business, most of which had to do with Paleo (eat like a caveman) and food sensitivities, mainly gluten intolerance and celiac….once you work out the kinks, cooking for clients who have some limitations is not as difficult as you might think.

Meals are easy…adjustments can be made that fit the parameters and everyone is happy….until that sweet tooth starts whining…then keening and wailing…that is when most people give up and “cave” (HA! A really bad joke…cave-caveman, see???) turning to foods that flip the sugar and wheat switches into full overdrive….

A client admitted to us that their sugar cravings were their downfall and was there anything we could do…since I love a challenge I set to work on a gluten-free, grain-free, paleo-friendly banana muffin…it has been 2 months in production and today, being a leisurely day in their kitchen, and the fact that last weekend we did a talk on gluten free eating and I promised my class I would give them this recipe, I decided to write it down…

Here it is:

Paleo Banana Muffins

5 Ripe Bananas, Mashed

4 Pastured Eggs, Room Temperature

2 tsp of Vanilla Extract

1/8 Cup of Coconut Sugar/Crystals

2 T Grade B Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup of Unsweetened Coconut/Cow/Goat/Almond Milk

1/4 Cup of Softened Grassfed Ghee/Clarified Butter

1/4 Cup of Softened Organic Coconut Oil

Dash of Fresh Lemon Juice

2 tsp of Baking Powder

3/4-1 Cup Coconut Flour

1 Cup Blanched Almond Flour

1 Heaping T of Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Salt

2 Egg Whites, whipped into soft peaks

Preheat your oven to 370

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and using a hand mixer, blend for 2 minutes on medium/high—at this stage you should have what looks like frothy tan pancake batter.

Sift the next 6 ingredients together and then add half to your existing batter. Mix on medium until for about 60 seconds until well-incorporated. Using a spatula, clean the sides of your bowl and then add the other half of your dry ingredients, and mix together until your batter has gotten some body to it and is holding together.

With clean beaters, in a separate bowl, whip your 2 egg whites until they are soft peaks, almost to the point of a loose meringue. Take half of the whipped egg and using your spatula, fold it into the existing batter, gently, to loosen and fluff. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold them in until they are mixed in.

Take a standard 12 cup muffin tin, spritz with coconut cooking spray (you can also use cupcake liners–I prefer Reynolds Jumbo foil cupcake liners) and fill each cup until your batter is evenly distributed in each cup….this recipe is great as it is EXACTLY the right amount to evenly fill a 12 cup pan, with none left over.

Bake at 370 for 25 minutes. Let cool and store under refrigeration (they can also be frozen for up to 2 months). These muffins are wonderful sliced in half, toasted in a toaster oven and served with a pat of grassfed pasture butter.